The present invention relates to a novel shock absorber which may be used with or without a wheel found on most vehicles such as carts, wheel chairs, cycles, caster supported items and the like, to absorb impact to a body such as a vehicle.
Many types of shock absorbers have been invented to control the vibratory motion of a body subject to impact, such as a vehicle traveling over rough surfaces, producing such impact to each vehicle wheel. The common embodiment has been in the nature of a hydraulic piston fitted within a cylinder which contains various springs, valves, and compartments. The resistance to fluid flow limits the vibrational rate of the vehicle. Also, various shock absorbers have been created employing the natural resilience of certain materials, such as cork, rubber, wood and the like which is fabricated in the form of a member placed between the wheel and the suspended body. Simple spring shock absorbers have also been manufactured for use in recoil mechanisms that generally do not entail vehicular movement.
The hydraulic shock absorber possesses drawbacks in that the construction is complicated and expensive to manufacture, repair, and install.
Resilient materials wear out quickly and tend to lack rebound strength. Spring absorbers, although possessing good dampening qualities have litte or no lateral stability under shearing forces often encountered with vehicular activity.